Jacksonville State University Men's Baseball

Case26 No other team has experienced the success over the last 13 years in the Ohio Valley Conference that Jim Case has enjoyed. His Jacksonville State baseball teams have won six Ohio Valley Conference Championships; won more OVC games during that 13-year span than any other team in the league; set the OVC record by posting an amazing 23-4 Conference record in 2008; won two OVC Coach of the Year Awards; and the Gamecocks have played in the OVC Tournament Championship game nine out of 13 years.   Case, who was named the 2005 and 2008 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, has posted a 485-402 overall record, but has an impressive 229-125 record against OVC opponents.   In 2016, The Jacksonville State baseball team earned its 13 th straight appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship this past spring.  The Gamecocks have made the postseason event every year the program has been associated with the OVC.  JSU swept a three-game weekend series on the final weekend of the regular season against UT Martin to earn the No. 2 seed in the six-team field and a bye in the opening round of the tournament.  The Gamecocks opened the tournament with a win over Austin Peay before knocking off top-seeded and regular season champion Southeast Missouri to advance to the championship round of the tournament.  Jax State found itself in a familiar place in the tournament with its ninth trip to the championship round in the 13 years at the tournament.    JSU finished the season 34-24 and 20-10 mark in the league Case.  The 30-plus wins is the 32 nd season in JSUs history to post 30 or more wins and the 13 th time under Case since he took over the program in 2002.  The 20 conference win is the third time since joining the league and the first since 2013.  As a team the Gamecocks ranked first nationally in doubles/game (2.5), fifth in scoring (8.3/game) and runs (481), 11th in hits (679) and 13th in batting average (.313). Sophomore Clayton Daniel earned a pair of All-American honors (Louisville Slugger and NCBWA) after hitting .372 with 93 hits, 56 runs, 20 doubles, 54 RBI and seven stolen bases in 58 games. He was the toughest player in the OVC (and eighth nationally) to strikeout, with only 13 strikeouts in 250 at-bats.   JSU's Paschal Petrongolo was named to the Senior CLASS Award All-American second team, announced in June by the Senior CLASS Award committee.  Petrongolo is one of 10 baseball student-athletes in the nation to earn the prestigious honor, given to NCAA Division I seniors that have notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition.   In 2015, Case directed his club to the programs 12th consecutive trip to the OVC Tournament with a 30-27 overall mark and a 15-14 record in league. The 2015 campaign saw wins over in-state rivals Auburn, Troy, Samford and UAB in the non-conference slate along with a three-game sweep of Air Force. The veteran skipper had a young squad in 2015 that matured throughout the season and won eight the last 11 conference games to extend the trips to the conference tournament streak. JSU had four players earn All-OVC honors, while it placed a league-best four on the All-OVC Newcomer Team. Clayton Daniel became the 10th player under Case to earn Freshman All-America honors with his selection as a Louisville Slugger All-American. Case also mentored Travis Stout to the programs all-time career saves list and shattered the OVCall-time saves mark with 47 throughout his career. Off the field, former Gamecock Ryan Sebra became the 14th JSU student-athlete to achieve Academic All-America status after earning a spot on the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Second Team. Sebra became the first baseball player in school history to receive the honor.   The 2014 season, more specifically the Gamecocks run in the OVC Tournament, will go down as one of the most memorable experiences in the programs decorated history. JSU became the first team in OVC history to win six-straight elimination games to win the OVC Conference Championship in Jackson, Tennessee. After losing in the opening round to fall into the elimination bracket, JSU reeled off six straight wins the longest winning streak of the season to eliminate every single team in the 2014 tournament and claim the schools fourth OVC Tournament Championship. After dropping a 2-1 decision to Eastern Illinois in the tournament opener, the Gamecocks defeated SIU Edwardsville (7-5), then won two nine-inning games on the Friday of the tournament by beating EIU (13-2) and Morehead State (7-1). The Gamecocks then won two more nine-inning games on Saturday by beating No. 1 Southeast Missouri (6-2) and No. 2 Tennessee Tech (10-7) to force the if necessary game on Sunday, when the Gamecocks defeated Tennessee Tech 4-2.   With the championship in hand, Case and his Gamecocks were sent to Oxford, Mississippi for the NCAA Oxford Regional. JSU dropped back-to-back games against host Ole Miss and Georgia Tech. The Rebels went on to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. JSU finished the season at 36-27 overall and finished tied for second in the OVC at 18-12. Jax State placed five on the 2014 All-OVC squads, led by Stout and Eddie Mora-Loera being tabbed to the First Team. Paschal Petrongolo, Andrew Bishop and Griff Gordon earned spots on the All-OVC Second Team. The postseason awards continued for JSU following the OVC Tournament. The entire JSU pitching staff was named the Most Valuable Players in the OVC Tournament after winning the six consecutive elimination games. The JSU pitching staff put up some impressive numbers in the seven OVC Tournament games. The Gamecocks allowed just 15 earned runs over 63.0 innings to post a 2.14 earned run average, while posting a 6-1 record and four saves. As a matter of fact, over the final 45 innings on the mound of the tournament, the Gamecocks pitched 40 scoreless innings (all five were elimination games.   In 2014, Case reached a monumental milestone in his coaching career by recording his 400th career win with JSUs 8-2 win at Eastern Illinois on March 28.   In 2013, the Gamecocks finished with a 32-26 overall record, tied for third in the OVC with a 22-8 record and advanced to the OVC Championship for the tenth straight year.   For the first time in the schools Division I history, the Gamecocks placed two players on the Louisville Slugger All-America Team. Stout, a sophomore, set the JSU single-season record for saves in a season with 17 and also set the schools Division I record for earned run average in a single season at 1.42. Michael Bishop also earned All-America honors after finishing the season with a .340 average. He also led the team in doubles (21), triples (4), home runs (4) and a .539 slugging percentage.   Additionally, junior utility player Coty Blanchard was the second player drafted in the OVC after the Rays selected him in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball draft.   The 2012 Gamecocks finished with a 17-10 OVC record and earned the No. 3 seed into the conference tournament, posting a 2-2 record before losing to eventual champion Austin Peay. Senior reliever Todd Hornsby set what was then the school and OVC career records with 33 saves and was named second-team All-OVC. Senior first baseman Ben Waldrip and senior outfielder Kyle Bluestein each were named to the first-team All-OVC, while Stout was named to the All-Freshman squad. Additionally, three Gamecocks were taken in the Major League Baseball Draft, including Ben Waldrip (10th round/ Colorado Rockies), Sam Eberle (25th round/San Francisco Giants) and Daniel Watts (32nd round/Arizona Diamondbacks).   The 2011 Gamecocks finished with a 36-23 record and advanced to the OVC Tournament Championship for the seventh time (out of eight years) and had 11 players earn All-Conference honors. Hornsby set the single-season school and OVC records with 15 saves and was named first-team All-OVC, while senior Blake Seguin was also named first-team. Bluestein, Eberle, Aaron Elias, Erik Underwood and Waldrip all earned second-team honors, while freshmen Casey Antley, Blanchard, Andrew Bishop and Michael Bishop earned All- Freshman honors. Additionally, Blanchard was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America in 2011, which was the seventh time a JSU player earned freshman All- American honors under Case. Waldrip was also drafted in the first-year Major League Baseball Draft in the 42nd round, but turned down the offer from the Kansas City Royals to return for his senior season at Jax State.   The 2010 Gamecocks won the schools 15th conference baseball championship after winning all three games in the OVC Tournament. JSU opened with a 7-5 win over Eastern Illinois and defeated Tennessee Tech 9-7 to advance to the OVC Championship game for the sixth time in the last seven years. Jax State then beat the Golden Eagles 10-8 as four players had three hits. Seniors Bert Smith, Steven Leach, Daniel Adamson, Andrew Edge and junior Jordan Beistline were all named to the All-Tournament squad. Smith garnered MVP honors after batting .500 (7-for-14) with a pair of doubles and a team-high four RBI. Jax State had five players that signed with major league baseball teams, including the first pick of the second round in junior outfielder Todd Cunningham. He was first player selected from the State of Alabama and was the 52nd overall pick of the 2010 draft by the Atlanta Braves.   Although the 2009 JSU team entered the OVC Tournament as the No. 6 seed, the Gamecocks advanced to the Championship game for the fifth time in six years. Five Gamecocks were named to the OVC All Tournament team including Eberle, Leach, Cunningham, Bluestein and Austin Lucas. Juniors Adamson and Bill Henke each were named to the first-team All-OVC squad, while Eberle and Bluestein were both named to the All-Freshman Squad. Bluestein also was named the OVC Freshman of the Year, marking the third time in six years a Gamecock earned the honor.   The 2008 Gamecocks raised the bar in the Ohio Valley Conference by posting an incredible 23-4 OVC record, including winning their final 14 conference games. It was the most conference wins by any team in the OVCs 48-year history. Jax State also placed five players on the OVC first-team All-Conference squad and a total of 10 Gamecocks were honored. Senior Clay Whittemore won his second straight OVC Player of the Year Award, while Cunningham was named the OVC Freshman of the Year. Whittemore also was named to the ABCA All-South Region team and was again a third-team All-American.   In 2007, the Gamecocks played in the OVC Championship game for the fourth straight year after posting an 18-9 mark in conference play. The Gamecocks placed the most players of any other school after 10 Gamecocks were named to OVC All-Conference teams. JSU also earned the OVC Sportsmanship Award in baseball for the 2007 season. In addition, junior outfielder Whittemore was named the OVC Player of the Year. Whittemore also became the schools first-ever All-American at the Division I level after earning third-team honors on the TPX/Louisville Slugger All-America team.   In 2006, Case led the Gamecocks to their second NCAA Regional appearance in three years after winning  OVC Tournament with a dramatic final at-bat win over Samford. JSU placed six players on the All Conference squad, the most of any other team in the league.   In 2005, Jax State won the Conference regular-season title after posting a 35-25 season, including a 19-8 mark in the league. It was the schools sixth conference championship and the first in Division I.   The Gamecocks made an immediate impact in their first season in the league in 2004. JSU finished third in the regular season standings and then defeated Southeast Missouri State to claim the OVC Tournament Championship and advance to NCAA postseason play for the first time in more than 13 years and the first time in the schools Division I history.   Four Gamecock players earned a spot on the All-Conference team and four were named to the OVC All Tournament team, including Most Valuable Player Bobby Wynns. JSU had not played in an NCAA tournament since winning the Division II national championship in 1991.   Not only have the Gamecocks excelled on the field, but also in the classroom. The Gamecocks have the most players named to the OVC Commissioners Honor Roll than any other OVC team since joining the league. To be listed, recipients must have achieved at least a 3.25 grade point average and have been eligible and on the team throughout the season.   Over the last 13 years, 174 players have posted a 3.0 grade point average or higher and a total of 152 players have been named to the Academic All-Conference teams. JSU had 14 players named to the squad in 2014 and 11 in 2015.  Former Gamecock Ryan Sebra became the first player in the program to be named Academic All-America after earning a spot on the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Second Team.    Jax State claimed the prestigious OVC Team Academic Achievement Award after placing 11 student-athletes on the OVC Commissions Honor Roll in 2005. The OVC Team Academic Achievement Awards are presented annually in each of the 17 Conference sponsored sports to the member institutions team with the greatest percentage of its student-athletes named to the OVC Commissioners Honor Roll.   One of his teams principles is to study hard and go to class. While at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs led the SEC with 37 Academic Honor Roll recipients. Under his leadership at JSU, the baseball team has achieved an impressive increase in GPA and 82 team members have achieved Academic All-Conference honors over the last seven years. Two-time OVC Player of the Year Clay Whittemore was selected as JSUs 2008 Eagle Owl Award recipient for excellence in his sport, being a positive role model and exemplifying the well-rounded student athlete. The Eagle Owl Award is given annually to the male student-athlete of the year by a selection committee of faculty, staff and athletic department administrators. Pitcher C.R. Palmer also claimed the honor in 2004.   The road to JSU for Coach Case was filled with tradition and hard work. Case was a three-sport letterman earning All-City honors in baseball and football at Birminghams Ensley High School. He credits coaches George Gould, Ronnie Syphurs, Jimmy Tucker, and Jerry Deaton for instilling good work ethic and practice habits.   Case continued his playing career at Louisiana Tech University under Coach Pat Patterson. Case earned All-Southland Conference honors as a catcher and was selected by the team as the recipient for the Outstanding Attitude Award. Afterward, he stayed at Louisiana Tech as a student assistant coach for a year before entering graduate school and working as a graduate assistant coach for Ron Polk at Mississippi State University.   While at MSU, Case completed a Masters Degree in Physical Education and an Educational Specialists Degree in Educational Leadership.   Leading up to his first head coaching position at JSU, Case served as assistant coach at UAB under Pete Rancont and at Mississippi State University under Pat McMahon. While at UAB, his teams claimed a 1991 Sun Belt Conference Championship and their first NCAA Regional appearance as well as a 1992 Great Mid-West Conference Title.   During his stints at MSU, Case coached in six NCAA Regional tournaments, two Super-Regionals, and made two College World Series appearances. Over 30 of his former players have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft with eight advancing to the major leagues. Former MSU pitchers Matt Ginter and Paul Maholm were first round draft choices, while former JSU pitchers Ben Tootle (third), Jesse Corn (sixth) and Donovan Hand (14th) have all been selected in the MLB Draft.   Because of Cases many successes, he is frequently asked to speak at local, regional and national clinics and organizations. He has twice been featured as an invited lecturer at the National American Baseball Coaches Association Convention, including the 2008 convention in Philadelphia. Case also just concluded a three-year term on the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee. In 2014 Case was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Associations Hall of Fame.   Jim and Jan Case have been married for 33 years and have two daughters, Catherine and Elizabeth. Jan is a math professor at JSU, while Catherine is in graduate school working on her doctorate at the University of Florida and Elizabeth is in graduate school at Georgia State.  

Bush in October. Bush joined the Gamecocks program after spending the last six seasons at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.  He is also returning to northeast Alabama as he is a native of Rainbow City, Alabama. While on staff at UAH, he was instrumental in building the Chargers in to one of the top teams in the Gulf South Conference and on the NCAA Division II national scene.  In 2015, he helped UAH into one of the most distinguishing programs in Division-II collegiate baseball, as the squad was ranked in the top 25 nationally for the duration of the season. The Chargers prolific offense, comprised of Bush's recruits, led the GSC with a .339 batting average, 409 runs, 108 doubles, 63 homers, 376 RBI, a 544 slugging percentage, and a .433 on-base percentage. The 2014 campaign saw the Chargers capture the 2014 GSC Championship and make their second appearance in the NCAAs in the last three seasons. He helped the Chargers to lead the GSC in home runs, doubles, triples, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, walks, and total runs scored. With Bush handling recruiting activities, UAH has produced 30 All-GSC recognized players, 14 All-Region players and four All-Americans. In 2013, Bush saw Chandler Brock earn four Player of the Year honors and three First Team All-American honors, while in 2015 mentoring Colton Simbeck to become an All-American and GSC Player of the Year. Prior to his stint in Huntsville, Bush was a member of the coaching staff at Bevill State Community College program in Fayette, Alabama.  He was honored by Alabama Baseball Coaches Association as the top junior college and as the top assistant coach in the state in 2010. Before entering the coaching ranks, Bush spent time playing minor league baseball in the San Francisco Giants organization.  Bush was a 48th-round selection by San Francisco and spent the 2006 season in Fresno (AAA) and Salem-Keizer (A).  He also played for the USA National Youth 16-under team in 2000, where his team won the 2000 Pan American Championship Gold Medal by defeating Cuba en route to an 8-0 record. He hit .500 appearing in four games, while playing with standout big-leaguers- Xavier Paul, Delmon Young and James Loney. Bush played collegiate baseball at Alabama as a four-year regular utility player. He ranks among the Crimson Tide's career leaders in several categories including walks (2nd-131), games started (5th-215) and games played (7th-223).  As a senior in 2006, Bush helped lead Alabama to the Southeastern Conference championship as well as their second-straight NCAA tournament appearance. Bush is married to the former Mary Elizabeth Moore. The two welcomed their first child, a daughter, Madelyn, in 2013.

Murphree begins his fourth season on the Gamecock staff for head coach Jim Case.   Murphree joined the Jacksonville State prior to the 2012 season after spending the previous two seasons at Gulf Coast Community College. While at Gulf Coast, he worked primarily with the hitters and also served as the Commodores recruiting coordinator, and helped the team to the 2010 Panhandle Conference Championship.   In 2013, the Gamecocks finished with a 32-26 overall record, and tied for third in the OVC with a 22-8 record and advanced to the OVC Championship for the tenth straight year. As a matter of fact, JSU has advanced to the six-team Tournament every year since joining the league in 2004.   The 2014 season, more specifically the Gamecocks run in the OVC Tournament, will go down as one of the most memorable experiences in the programs decorated history.  JSU became the first team in OVC history to win six-straight elimination games to win the OVC Conference Championship in Jackson, Tennessee.  After losing in the opening round to fall in the elimination bracket, JSU reeled off six straight wins the longest winning streak of the season to eliminate every single team in the 2014 tournament and claim the schools fourth OVC Championship. Jax State placed five on the 2014 All-OVC squads, led by Travis Stout and Eddie-Mora-Loera being tabbed to the First Team.  Paschal Petrongolo, Andrew Bishop and Griff Gordon earned spots on the All-OVC Second Team. JSU finished the season at 36-27 overall and finished tied for second in the OVC at 18-12.   For the first time in the schools Division I history, the Gamecocks placed two players on the Louisville Slugger All-American Team. Sophomore relief pitcher Travis Stout set the JSU single-season record for saves in a season with 17 and also set the schools Division I record for earned run average in a single season at 1.42. Michael Bishop also earned All-American honors after finishing the season with a .340 average. He also led the team in doubles (21), triples (4), home runs (4) and a .539 slugging percentage.   Additionally, junior utility player Coty Blanchard was the second player drafted in the OVC after the Rays selected him in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball draft.   The 2012 Gamecocks finished with a 17-10 OVC record and earned the No. 3 seed into the Conference Tournament, posting a 2-2 record before losing to eventual champion Austin Peay. Senior reliever Todd Hornsby set the school and OVC career records with 33 saves and was named second-team All-OVC. Senior first baseman Ben Waldrip and senior outfielder Kyle Bluestein each were named to the first-team All-OVC, while Travis Stout was named to the All-Freshman squad.   Additionally, three Gamecocks were taken in the Major League Baseball Draft, including Ben Waldrip (10th  /Colorado Rockie), Sam Eberle (25th round/San Francisco Giants) and Daniel Watts (32nd round/Arizona Diamondbacks).   Murphree coached at Troy from 2003-06, where he worked with the infielders and hitters. The Trojans won the 2005 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship with a 37-21 record, and the 2006 Sun Belt Conference Championship after going 47-16.   He then spent one year as an assistant at Northwest-Shoals Community College, where he was the recruiting coordinator while coaching the hitters and infielders, and assisting with the pitchers and catchers. Murphree, 32, returned to Troy for the 2008- 09 seasons, where he worked with hitting and infielders, while also coaching first base. The Trojans posted three straight 30-win seasons during that stretch.   An active member of the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association, Murphree was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2008 and has coordinated regional workouts for the underclassmen event for the last five years.   Murphree is a native of Athens, Ala., and played football, basketball and baseball at East Limestone High School. He was an All-Area selection in baseball and basketball in 1998 and was honorable mention All-State selection in 1996 and 1997.   He started his college playing career at Northwest Shoals in 1999-2000, helping the team to its first and only state title in 1999. He then played at Martin Methodist, where he was an All-Conference selection in 2002. He is a 2005 graduate of Troy University.